Donald Trump outlined a foreign policy vision Wednesday that placed American interests first, and paired a reluctance to employ military force with a hard-edged ability to negotiate agreements with long-standing foes.
But the remarks, delivered in Washington off of a teleprompter for 40 minutes, also exposed a series of contradictions in the approach of the Republican presidential front-runner that will only continue to raise questions about his readiness to be commander-in-chief.
Trump lambasted President Barack Obama for overextending U.S. military resources abroad without a clear-eyed purpose or strategy. He also said the Obama administration's fecklessness gave the Islamic State group the space to grow and prosper.
But moments later, he sent conflicting signals about his own prescriptions for confronting the world's most notorious terrorist organization, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
While he promised "ISIS will be gone if I'm elected president," he also said he was not inclined to deploy U.S. troops for combat.
"Unlike other candidates for the presidency, war and aggression will not be my first instinct," he said.
He complained that Obama abandoned key allies around the world, instead bowing to adversaries.
"We've let our rivals and challengers think they can get away with anything. And they do," he said.
But he went on to demand new financial obligations from U.S. global partners – "Our allies are not paying their fair share," he said – while opening the door to fostering better relations with antagonists like Russia and China.
"I believe an easing of tensions, and improved relations with Russia ... is possible, absolutely possible," he said.
In one breath, Trump said the U.S. must be prepared to let allied countries defend themselves. In another, he lamented that Obama had made it so "friends think they can't depend on us."
"America is going to be reliable again. It's going to be a great and reliable ally again," he said. "We're going to finally have a coherent foreign policy."
But Kori Schake, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, says Trump's speech was anything but coherent...
More at:
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-04-27/trumps-america-first-foreign-policy-littered-with-contradictions
